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Summer Solstice 2013: What you need to know

When does the summer solstice occur this year? It depends where in the Northern Hemisphere you are located. In 2013, the solstice falls on Friday, June 21, at 5:04 Universal time, which is 1:04 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time and 12:04 a.m. Central Daylight Time.

In 2012, the solstice happened on Thursday, June 20.

No matter when the solstice happens where you are, we've compiled a few notable solstice facts to help celebrate the day.

The word solstice is from the Latin solstitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop).

The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is simultaneously the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Around Dec. 21, the solstices are reversed and winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere.

On Summer Solstice there are 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle and 24 hours of darkness south of the Antarctic Circle

For centuries, civilizations around the world have celebrated the first day of summer.

Stonehenge is commonly associated with celestial events. At sunrise at Stonehenge on the longest day of the year, the rising sun appears behind one of the main stones, creating the illusion that the sun is balancing on the stone. Even today, thousands gather at Stonehenge to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Ancient Pagans traditionally celebrated by dancing around bonfires believing their crops would grow as high as dancing couples were able to jump

Chinese culture marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth", resulting in the present day belief of a "lucky" wedding in June.

The astrological sign associated with the Summer Solstice is Cancer, which is symbolized by the crab. It’s said that the crab is the symbol since the year walks backwards like a crab with progressively shorter days after the solstice.

While the solstice provides a day of extended sunlight to all locations, many areas of the country enjoy extensive sun all year round. The top ten sunniest cities in the Unite States, according to National Climactic Data Center follow:

10. Sacramento, CA : Sunny on 78% of all days

9. Flagstaff, AZ : Sunny on 78% of all days

8. Reno, NV : Sunny on 79% of all days

7. Fresno, CA : Sunny on 79% of all days

6. El Paso, TX : Sunny on 84% of all days

5. Tucson, AZ : Sunny on 85% of all days

4. Phoenix, AZ : Sunny on 85% of all days

3. Las Vegas, NV : Sunny on 85% of all days

2. Redding, CA : Sunny on 88% of all days

The image, fittingly enough, is of Sundial Bridge in Redding.

1. Yuma, AZ : Sunny on 90% of all days

If you are curious where the least sunny place is in the United States, that honor goes to Juneau, AK where, on average, it is only sunny 30% of the time.

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